


baby, i'm howlin' for you

by surrenderer



Category: Bandom, Empires
Genre: M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-27
Updated: 2012-05-27
Packaged: 2017-11-06 02:25:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/413693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surrenderer/pseuds/surrenderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is how he’s going to die, Sean knows it. He’s going to be eaten by a giant wolf and no one will know because it’s going to leap on him and snap his neck before he can scream and then make a delicious breakfast of his intestines.</p><p>In other words, the one where Sean is dating a werewolf and didn't know it until now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	baby, i'm howlin' for you

It’s getting cold in Chicago and there’s a bite to the wind, but Sean doesn’t mind quite as much as he used to. Tom has this talent of always being warm, and he substitutes quite well for Sean’s creaky space heater. They don’t spend every night together, just a few times a week, but Sean likes waking up to Tom’s face and curling up in his arms. Tom is always warm, and in the summer, it’s a bit too much, but right now, with winter just around the corner, it’s perfect. Sean especially enjoys the mornings after a night like the one they had, when he wakes up to skin-on-skin contact and the pleasant slide of the sheets, as dirty as they might be. Sometimes, he wakes up to the smell of coffee and an empty bed, but today, there’s no coffee scent in the air. Sean can sense someone next to him, though, so Tom is still obviously in bed. He reaches out, but instead of finding Tom’s back, his fingers encounter fur. That’s… not right. Sean sits up, looking over at the huge brown wolf in his bed, and he lets out a scream that no one else should hear, ever. He grabs the blankets, bundling them around his waist and practically vaulting off the bed. His scream must have woken up the wolf, because it opens its eyes and looks around.

This is how he’s going to die, Sean knows it. He’s going to be eaten by a giant wolf and no one will know because it’s going to leap on him and snap his neck before he can scream and then make a delicious breakfast of his intestines. Sean’s got lean muscle, so he’s probably not a good meal, but what does it matter, if the wolf is hungry? How did it even get inside?! And where’s Tom when Sean needs him?

Sean backs up to the door slowly, barely breathing. The wolf whines at him, strangely, and slides off his bed, surprisingly graceful for such a predator. Sean’s eyes widen when he sees the wolf’s full-size, because fuck, this beast is _tall_. Its shoulder probably lines up with Sean’s, and Sean’s pretty tall for a human guy. Oh god. He doesn’t stand a chance against it. So Sean makes a run for it, blankets and all. He has knives in the kitchen; maybe he can put up something of a fight before he becomes breakfast. Sean risks looking behind him as he gets to the living room. The wolf is following, but it’s not _chasing_ him. It’s just plodding along; it looks sleepy. Maybe this isn’t a morning wolf. But that only makes Sean move faster; maybe he can get a head start and arm himself. He pulls a kitchen drawer out, grabbing a random steak knife. He doubts they’ll be much help, but it’s better than nothing. “Stay away,” he squeaks when he notices the wolf in the kitchen doorway, pointing a knife at it. He’s still naked, with only a blanket covering him, but he still scrambles up onto the kitchen counter, facing the wolf with a scared look.

Sean’s cornered, so it surprises him when the wolf doesn’t pounce on him. Nor does it block his way out of the kitchen; instead, it whines again and backs out of the doorway. Sean can see it lay down in the living room, curling its large tail around and looking at him…sadly? No, there’s no way. It’s probably just sad because Sean is armed and now it can’t eat him as easily. Sean just pulls his blanket tighter around himself, trying not to shiver. His kitchen’s cold, and he’s not even wearing boxers. But he’s stuck in here for a while, because there’s a giant wolf waiting to eat him outside. Sean eventually slides off the counter because he wants food. So he rummages through the cabinets and finds a box of cereal that he can just munch on for the time being. The wolf perks up when he starts moving, but Sean is still holding the knife, just in case. He does freeze when the wolf comes up to the kitchen door, though, pointing the knife at it. “Shoo,” he says weakly, waving the knife a little. The wolf just walks in calmly, laying down at the other side of the kitchen and looking at Sean again. Its eyes are gray, Sean notices that much. A pretty gray, with a hint of blue in it. But Sean can’t let himself get distracted by how pretty the wolf is, of all things. Pretty won’t help him get out of here without being eaten alive. But Sean eats his cereal anyway on the other side of the kitchen, right out of the box and without milk, since the wolf is in front of the fridge. He might as well have energy to fight. What’s he going to do? He can’t stay in here naked all day, but there’s a wolf in his apartment and it’ll probably eat him as a snack and then go hunting for something more satisfying. Why it isn’t already doing so, Sean has no idea. 

Eventually, he gets sick of cereal, and he sits down on the kitchen floor against the counter, the tiles cold against his bare ass. But he has a blanket and a knife and the ability to run, he should be okay, right? It’s not like he can go anywhere else right now, cornered the way he is. The wolf seems to be settling in for a nap, though, so Sean keeps the knife close and watches it carefully. Its fur is actually a pretty color, if a little shaggy. Sean assumes that it’s because of the winter. He’s never seen a wolf this big; he’s actually never seen a wolf in general, but he knows they’re not supposed to be almost as tall as he is.

Sean studies it carefully, including the way its tail twitches every so often and the soft, rhythmic whines it lets out in its sleep. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that the wolf was snoring. Sleep sounds great, actually, but Sean fights it, because he needs to be awake just in case the wolf wakes up and wants to eat him now. He can’t fight the tiredness forever, though, and eventually, his eyes slip closed. The kitchen floor is really uncomfortable, but he’s too tired to care. It’s not the first time he’s fallen asleep here.

When he wakes up, the first thing he notices is that he’s warm. Warmer than he should be, with only a blanket to defend against the chill in the kitchen. And he’s not lying on the floor or leaning against the counter; he has a pillow and a warm something to lean against. A soft, shaggy pillow, it seems. And it moves. Sean jolts awake, screaming again when he realizes that he’s been sleeping on the wolf’s side, using it as a pillow. At some point, it must have moved towards him. Sean sits up and looks around; the wolf has curled itself protectively around him, its tail lying across his legs, and the blanket across Sean’s chest and hips. That would explain the warmth. And even with Sean’s reaction, it hasn’t moved much at all. Sean looks at the wolf, which turns and looks right back at him curiously.

This isn’t a normal wolf, obviously. Sean doesn’t have experience with wolves, but he’s pretty sure most of them don’t make a point of serving as a pillow and blanket for humans, even the tamest of them. He looks closer at its fur, now that they’re right next to each other; it’s shaggy and not curly, but it’s the same warm brown color as Tom’s hair. Its eyes are blue-gray as well, and when Sean hesitantly pats its shoulder and whispers Tom’s name, the wolf licks him across the face.

“Ugh, that’s gross,” Sean sighs, wiping the drool with a disgusted look. But that’s all the confirmation he needs. He reaches up, scratching behind the wolf’s ears, and the wolf-- _Tom_ \-- wags his tail. “Okay. You’re Tom. If you’re Tom, why are you a wolf? I didn’t know I was dating one.”

Sean’s obviously not expecting an answer, but Tom licks his cheek again and lays his head down on his front paws, like he’s expecting to be pet again. The lick seems weirdly comforting, like how Tom would hug him and give him a kiss to make him feel better about something if he was human. Sean supposes that the gesture, even with Tom as a wolf, isn’t any different from usual. So he sighs, laying his head down on Tom’s shoulder, running his fingers through Tom’s thick fur again. If this is really Tom, then there’s no reason to be scared, no matter how strange the situation is. “You have to explain everything to me when you’re human again.” He can’t help jumping when Tom barks an affirmative, but whatever. His boyfriend is a werewolf, it seems. They have some time for explaining.


End file.
